Coated packaging products, systems and methods

ABSTRACT

In a method of forming a coated bag for pre-treating an item stored in the bag, a bag is provided, having a sidewall extending from a closed bottom end to an open top end and defining an interior surface of a cavity. The bag is expanded from a flattened condition to an expanded condition. At least one adhesive dispenser is inserted through the open top end of the bag into the cavity. An adhesive is applied from the at least one inserted adhesive dispenser to form an adhesive coating on the interior surface of the cavity. A particulate dispenser is inserted through the open top end of the bag into the cavity. A particulate is discharged from the inserted particulate dispenser to embed the particulate in the adhesive coating. The adhesive coating is dried to retain the embedded particulate on the interior surface of the sidewall.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and all benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 62/221,172, filed on Sep. 21, 2015, forCOATED PACKAGING PRODUCTS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS, the entire disclosure ofwhich is fully incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates generally to packaging containers andother item retaining substrates for treating items with an additivematerial.

BACKGROUND

Items that are packaged and stored for later use are often treated withan additive material to enhance, preserve, or otherwise modify the itemfor eventual sale or use as the modified item. In some embodiments, theadditive material is deposited in a packaging container (e.g., storagebag or processing bag) with the item to be stored, such that over timeor upon initiation of an item treating process, the additive materialcoats, penetrates, is absorbed by, or otherwise treats the stored item.In many cases, the deposited additive material (e.g., a liquid, powder,or gel) tends to pool or collect at the bottom of the container,resulting in a disproportionately large portion of the additive materialbeing applied to a lower portion of the stored item, and adisproportionately small portion of the additive material being appliedto an upper portion of the stored item. While this uneven treatment ofthe item may in some applications be reduced by filling the storagecontainer with a larger amount of the additive material, this may resultin the use of excess additive material within the storage container,with the excess material being discarded with the packaging (and notbeing applied to the stored item) upon removal and use of the item.

SUMMARY

The present application contemplates packaging products, systems, andmethods in which an additive material is adhered to an interior surfaceof a packaging container prior to receiving an item to be placed orstored in the packaging container.

Accordingly, in an exemplary embodiment of the present application, amethod of forming a coated bag for treating an item stored in the bag iscontemplated. In the exemplary method, a bag having a sidewall extendingfrom a closed bottom end to an open top end is provided, with the bottomend and the sidewall having an interior surface together defining aninterior surface of a cavity. The bag is changed from a flattenedcondition to an expanded condition in which the sidewall defines aperimeter. At least one adhesive dispenser is inserted through the opentop end of the bag into the cavity. An adhesive from the at least oneinserted adhesive dispenser is applied to form an adhesive coating onthe interior surface of the cavity. A particulate dispenser is insertedthrough the open top end of the bag into the cavity. A particulate isdischarged from the inserted particulate dispenser to embed theparticulate in the adhesive coating. The adhesive coating is dried toretain the embedded particulate on the interior surface of the sidewall.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present application, aspray-coated bag for treating an item to be retained therein includes aheat-shrinkable film, a sprayed adhesive coating, and a particulate. Theheat-shrinkable film forms a sidewall extending from a closed bottom endto an open top end, with the bottom end and the sidewall having aninterior surface together defining an interior surface of a cavity. Theadhesive coating is adhered to the interior surface of the cavity, andthe particulate is embedded in the adhesive coating.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present application, a method ofpretreating an item is contemplated. In the exemplary method, aspray-coated bag is provided, the bag including a heat-shrinkable filmforming a sidewall extending from a closed bottom end to an open topend, with the bottom end and sidewall having an interior surfacetogether defining an interior surface of a cavity, an adhesive coatingadhered to the interior surface of the cavity; and a particulate oradditive embedded in the adhesive coating. The item is received in thebag cavity, and the open top end of the bag is sealed to enclose theitem in the bag cavity. The bag is heated to an orientation temperatureto shrink the bag into surrounding contact with an exterior surface ofthe enclosed item. The enclosed item is maintained in the shrunk bag fora period of time sufficient to release the embedded particulate oradditive from the adhesive coating, such that the released particulateis applied substantially uniformly to the exterior surface of theenclosed item.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following detailed description made with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an exemplary coated bag in accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic enlarged partial cross-sectional view of thecoated bag of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic enlarged partial cross-sectional view of anothercoated packaging substrate in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic enlarged partial cross-sectional view of anothercoated packaging substrate in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic enlarged partial cross-sectional view of anothercoated packaging substrate in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic enlarged partial cross-sectional view of anothercoated packaging substrate in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present application;

FIG. 7A is a schematic view of a coated bag storing a foodstuff forpre-treatment of the foodstuff;

FIG. 7B is a schematic enlarged partial cross-sectional view of thecoated bag and foodstuff of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8A is a schematic view of the coated bag and foodstuff of FIG. 7A,with the bag heat shrunk into surrounding contact with the foodstuff;

FIG. 8B is a schematic enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the heatshrunk coated bag and foodstuff of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an exemplary bag coating system inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an adhesive dispensing arrangement for acoated bag in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentapplication; and

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a particulate dispensing arrangement fora coated bag in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentapplication.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This Detailed Description merely describes exemplary embodiments and isnot intended to limit the scope of the claims in any way. Indeed, theinvention as claimed is broader than and unlimited by the exemplaryembodiments, and the terms used in the claims have their ordinarymeaning. For example, many of the specific exemplary embodiments ofpackaging products, systems, and methods described herein involveheat-shrinkable food storage bags that are coated with an edibleadhesive (e.g., a sugar-based carbohydrate glue) sprayed on an interiorsurface of the bag and a seasoning particulate discharged into the bagand embedded in the adhesive coating, and heat dried to form a solid,dry seasoning coating, with the coating being configured to allow forrelease of the seasoning particulate onto the stored foodstuff after thebag has shrunk into surrounding contact with a moist exterior surface ofthe stored foodstuff, which facilitates dissolution of the adhesive andrelease of the seasoning particulate. In other inventive embodimentscontemplated by the present application, one or more of the inventiveaspects of the present application may additionally or alternativelyutilize other types of packaging products, contained items, adhesives,particulates, non-particulate additives (e.g., liquids or gels), dryingor curing methods, and additive release methods, independently or incombination, as described in greater detail below.

Referring to FIG. 1, a coated bag in accordance with certain aspects ofthe present application is shown generally at 10. The exemplary bag 10includes a film 11 forming a closed bottom end 12 and a sidewall 13extending from the bottom end to an open top end 14. The bottom end 12and sidewall 13 together define an interior surface of a bag cavity 15in which an item may be received.

The bag may be provided in a wide range of shapes, including, forexample, round bottomed, square bottomed, cylindrical, conical,gusseted, seamed, and seamless, and in a wide range of sizes, includingbut not limited to, for example, bags having a length betweenapproximately 10 inches and approximately 36 inches and a width betweenapproximately 5 inches and approximately 14 inches.

As shown in the enlarged partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, acoating 17 is adhered to the interior surface of the bag cavity 15 ofthe exemplary bag 10. As described herein, the coating may include oneor more additives for treating, enhancing, or modifying an itemcontained in the bag, as described in greater detail below. In theexemplary embodiment, as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view ofFIG. 2, the coating 17 includes an adhesive layer 18 and a solidparticulate 19 embedded in the adhesive layer. In other embodiments, thecoating may include only an adhesive layer (without any embeddedparticulate), with the adhesive layer including one or more additivematerials (e.g., liquids, gels, or particles small enough to besuspended in the adhesive layer). As used herein, “adhesive material,”“adhesive coating,” and “adhesive layer” are intended to include notonly materials, coatings, and layers that adhere another material (e.g.,a solid particulate) to a substrate to which the material, coating, orlayer is adhered, but also materials, coatings, and layers that arethemselves adhered to the substrate without providing adhesion to anyother materials.

A wide variety of suitable container coating adhesives may be utilizedin various exemplary embodiments of the present application, including,for example, any suitable edible or inedible adhesives. Examples ofedible adhesive include heat soluble adhesives, adhesives soluble in avariety of solvents (e.g., water, fat, alcohol, etc.), permanentadhesives, lipids (e.g., lards, oils), oleoresin, gelatin, fiber-basedadhesives (e.g., plant extract, biopolymer), slurries, sugar alcohol,syrups (e.g., corn syrup, flavored syrup, caramelized syrup, etc.), andgums (e.g., arabic, carrageenan, etc.). In one exemplary embodiment, asugar-based carbohydrate glue is used as an edible adhesive for coatingthe interior surface of a bag and retaining edible particulate embeddedin the adhesive layer.

The particulate embedded in or otherwise adhered with the adhesive layermay vary in type, amount, and size. The size of the particulate, such asseasoning applied to coated food packaging, will vary depending on thetype of additive to be applied to the stored item, and may be in granuleform. For example, a seasoning such as crushed red pepper flakes mayrange in granule size from 10 mesh to 30 mesh. Other exemplaryseasonings may range in granule size from about 5 mesh to about 100mesh. In one embodiment, about 95% of the seasonings used in theseasoning layer has a granule size that is larger than about 80 mesh,and about 5% of the seasoning has a granule size that is larger thanabout 8 mesh. In another embodiment, about 20% of the seasoning used inthe seasoning layer has a granule size that is smaller than about 100mesh, about 75% of the seasoning has a granule size that is larger thanabout 80 mesh, and about 5% of the seasoning has a granule size that islarger than about 8 mesh.

A wide variety of suitable item-treating particulates may be utilized invarious exemplary embodiments of the present application, including, forexample, any suitable edible or inedible particulates. Examples ofedible particulates include seasonings, spices, colorants,preservatives, nut products, cheeses, real or imitation meat particles(e.g., bacon bits), breading (e.g., panko), cornmeal, antimicrobialmaterials, curing agents, whey, powder supplements (e.g., vitamins,minerals, proteins, fiber, caffeine, and herbal supplements, such asginseng), acidulants, cocoa powder, coffee, dried food particles (e.g.,vegetables, fruits), nutraceuticals, probiotics, deodorizers,fragrances, and powdered alcohol. In non-food based embodiments,exemplary inedible particulates may include, for example, dessicants,rust inhibitors, anti-UV additives, paint, and sand. In medicalapplications, medical supplement additives may be utilized, such as, forexample, antibiotics and analgesics.

The ratio of applied adhesive (e.g., edible adhesive) to particulate(e.g., seasoning) also varies depending on the type and amount ofparticulate that is to be applied to the interior of the bag. In oneembodiment, the amount of adhesive relative to the amount of particulatemay range from about 50% by weight to about 200% by weight. As oneexample, an edible adhesive may be applied in an amount ranging fromabout 30 mg per square inch to about 65 mg per square inch, while aseasoning particulate may be applied in an amount ranging from about 20mg per square inch to about 110 mg per square inch. As another example,an edible adhesive may be applied in an amount ranging from about 1 gper square inch to about 3 g per square inch. Furthermore, the thicknessof the layer of adhesive and the layer of particulate may vary dependingon the type and amount of particulate that is to be applied. Forexample, a thicker adhesive layer may be required to adequately embedlarger particulate. In one example, the thickness of an edible adhesivelayer may range from about 1 mil to about 3 mil and the thickness of theseasoning layer may range from about 2.2 mil to about 5 mil. In someembodiments, the added particulate may be measured based on the amountthat is added to the bag, and not the amount that is actually adhered tothe adhesive coating, thereby accounting for an unadhered portion of theparticulate. For example, about 2 to about 20 grams of particulate maybe added to a bag having a coated internal surface of 100 in².

In some embodiments, a coated bag (or other container or packagingsubstrate) is prepared with an adhesive layer and particulate dispensingmethod (as described in greater detail below) configured to adhere aspecified minimum portion or amount of the added particulate to the bagcoating. This specified minimum portion may be quantified as a percentof the total amount of particulate added to the bag (e.g., at leastabout 80% of the added particulate), as an amount proportional to theweight of the applied adhesive (e.g., an amount of particulate, byweight, corresponding to at least about 50% of the total adhesiveweight), a percent coverage of the coated bag surface by particulate, asdetermined, for example, by optical scanning of the coated bag surface(e.g., particulate covering at least 90% of the coated bag surface), orsome other measurement or combination of measurements. The minimumportion of adhered particulate may depend in part on the total surfacearea of the bag coating, the total amount of particulate added to thebag, the size and shape of the bag, the type and/or size of particulateand other such factors.

Where a predetermined total amount of particulate is added to a bag (orother container or packaging substrate), a portion of the addedparticulate may not adhere to the adhesive coating. This “loose”particulate may be retained in the bag (e.g., accumulated at the bottomof the bag), such that a known predetermined total amount of particulateremains in the bag for treatment of a stored item. In some embodiments,the predetermined total amount of particulate added to the bag may beselected such that this portion of loose particulate retained in the bagis effectively minimized. In other embodiments, the loose particulatemay be removed from the bag, for example, by a vacuum mechanism or byturning the bag upside-down and dumping out the loose particulate. Insuch an embodiment, the effectiveness of the adhesive layer andparticulate dispensing method may be relied upon to provide a storeditem with sufficient particulate additive to adequately treat theretained item.

While many of the exemplary embodiments described and shown hereininclude bags or container substrates having uniformly applied adhesivecoatings, for example, for uniform treatment of an item retained in thebag, in other embodiments, a coating may be applied as a predeterminedor random pattern on the interior sidewall of the bag, for example, toapply an additive to limited portions of the item. For example, acolorant additive may be applied to a foodstuff in a grill mark patternor to apply a logo to a surface of the item. As another example, anadditive carrying coating may be provided on limited portions of thepackaging substrate (e.g., on one side of a bag interior or onalternating stripes of a bag interior) to limit the amount of additiveapplied to an item, to limit the portion of the item to which theadditive is applied, or to provide visibility of the stored productthrough clear uncoated portions of the packaging substrate. As stillanother example, a first additive carrying coating may be applied to afirst portion of the packaging substrate and a second additive carryingcoating may be applied to a second portion of the packaging substrate,for example, to apply different additives to different portions of astored item.

As described above, the layers of adhesive and particulate may beseparate, and upon application, the particulate 19 of the bag coating 17may be at least partially embedded in the adhesive layer 18. In analternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a coated bag or othercontainer 20 may include an adhesive coating 27 having an adhesive layer28 in which a particulate 29 is mixed prior to application so that theadhesive and particulate are applied as a single combined layer in aone-step application process, with the particulate 29 being intermingledwithin the adhesive layer 28.

In other embodiments, a particulate may be treated for adhesion to aninterior surface of a bag (or other container or packaging substrate)without use of a separate adhesive layer. For example, a particulatehaving an adhesive film or outer surface may be dispensed into the bag,such that the particles adhere themselves to the interior surface of thebag. As another example, particles may be ionized or electrostaticallycharged for electrostatic attachment to the interior surfaces of thebag. In some applications, temporary adhesion of the particles to theinside of the bag may be sufficient, for example, where the item isreceived in the bag immediately after particle adhesion to the baginterior.

In other embodiments, an adhesive layer may be applied over aparticulate to hold, adhere, or cement the particulate to the substrate.As shown in FIG. 4, a coated bag or other container 30 may including anadhesive coating 37 having a first adhesive layer 38 a adhered to thepackaging substrate 33, particulate 39 embedded in the first adhesivelayer 38 a, and a second adhesive layer 38 b covering the particulate39, for example, to hold or cement the particulate 39 within theadhesive coating 37. While each adhesive layer may include substantiallythe same amount of the same type of adhesive, in other embodiments, theamount of adhesive supplied in the first and second layers may vary. Forexample, the second adhesive layer 38 b may be a thinner layer orsmaller amount of adhesive, for example, as a cementing or solidifyingglaze or topcoat, as compared to the first adhesive layer in which theparticulate 39 embeds. Additionally or alternatively, the adhesivecomposition in the first and second adhesive layers may be varied.

In still other embodiments, multiple layers of particulate may beapplied to a packaging substrate, for example, to retain moreparticulate than could be retained by embedding the particulate in thelimited surface area of the packaging substrate, or to apply differentadditives in separate sequential applications. As shown in FIG. 5, acoated bag or other container 40 may include an adhesive coating 47having a first adhesive layer 48 a adhered to the packaging substrate43, a first particulate 49 a embedded in the first adhesive layer 48 a,a second adhesive layer 48 b covering the first particulate 49, and asecond particulate 49 b embedded in the second adhesive layer 48 b.

In other embodiments, in addition to or instead of embeddedparticulates, additives used in embodiments of the present applicationmay include non-particulate additives (e.g., in addition to or insteadof particulate additives), such as, for example, liquids and gels. Whilethe liquid or gel additive may be mixed with the adhesive to form apackaging substrate coating with a single adhesive layer, in anotherexemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a coated bag or othercontainer 50 may include an adhesive coating 57 having an adhesive layer58 adhered to the packaging substrate 53, and a separate liquid or geladditive layer 59 adhered to the adhesive layer 58.

A wide variety of suitable item-treating non-particulate additives maybe utilized in various exemplary embodiments of the present application,including, for example, any suitable edible or inedible liquid/geladditives. Liquid additives used in embodiments of the presentapplication may include, for example, natural or artificial colors(e.g., dyes), natural or artificial flavors (e.g., sauces, juices,marinades), liquid smoke, acidulants, natural extracts, syrups, phenols(e.g., resveratrol), liquid supplements (e.g., vitamins, minerals,proteins, fiber, caffeine, herbal supplements), deodorizers, fragrances,and alcohols. In non-food based embodiments, exemplary liquid additivesmay include, for example, paints or dyes. Gel additives used inembodiments of the present application may include, for example, Aloevera gel or some other hydrocolloid.

According to another aspect of the present application, any suitablenumber of adhesive layers, particulate layers, and non-particulateadditive layers, such as, for example, the adhesive, particulate, andnon-particulate additive layers described above, may be provided on apackaging substrate surface for one or more enhancements or treatmentsof an item retained with the packaging substrate.

While the present application contemplates the use of coated bags in avariety of applications, in one embodiment, a coated bag may be used tostore (e.g., in a refrigerated, frozen, or room temperature,shelf-stable condition), prepare (e.g., marinate), and/or cook (e.g.,bake, boil, microwave) or otherwise process a food item or foodstuff,and therefore may include an edible (i.e., non-toxic) interior coatingfor applying one or more additives to a foodstuff contained in the bag.As used herein, the term “foodstuff” may be any substance that can beused or prepared for use as a food. In one embodiment, the foodstuff isprotein-based, such as a piece of fish or meat (e.g., turkey, chicken,beef, pork, etc.), cheese, or tofu. In another embodiment, the foodstuffmay include one or more vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, Brusselssprouts, corn, etc. In other embodiments, the foodstuff may be one ormore other food products, such as grains and nuts, or beans, or may be acombination of types of foods.

To apply the additive in a bag coating to an item contained in the bagcavity, the coating may be configured to be heated, wetted (e.g., withwater, fat, alcohol, or some other solvent) or otherwise treated torelease the additive from the interior surface of the bag, allowing theadditive to contact, penetrate, be absorbed by, or otherwise treat anexterior surface of the item. In an exemplary embodiment, an adhesivelayer of a coated food storage bag may be configured to release aparticulate during refrigerated storage of a packaged food product inthe bag, for example, at a suitable release temperature. Where theadditive is provided in the form of a particulate embedded in and/orcovered by the adhesive layer, dissolution, melting, flaking, or otherrelease of the adhesive layer allows for release of the particulate fromthe interior surface of the bag cavity and onto the exterior surface ofthe item. Additionally or alternatively, particulate embedded in anadhesive layer may itself dissolve or otherwise detach due to heating,wetting or other such treatment, independent of, and in some caseswithout, any dissolution or release of the adhesive layer.

According to an aspect of the present application, the condition (e.g.,temperature, moisture, etc.) for releasing the coating additive onto theretained item may be selected to provide a predetermined amount ordegree of release of the additive. For example, a release condition(e.g., temperature or moisture content) may be selected to correspond toan initiation or beginning of a release of the coating additive. Asanother example, a release condition may be selected to correspond withrelease of a certain portion of the adhered additive (e.g., at leastabout 75% of the adhered additive) or by release of a certain portion ofthe combined adhesive and additive coating (e.g., at least about 75% ofthe bag coating). Examples of release conditions include temperaturesranging from about 28° F. to about 200° F., moisture content rangingfrom about 18% to about 100% (wb), time delay of about 15 minutes toabout 2 hours or longer (depending on temperature), or some combinationof two or more of these parameters. An amount or degree of additiverelease may be measured, for example, by weighing the coated bag beforeand after release conditions have been effected.

When an additive adhered to an interior surface of a bag or othercontainer is released, the released additive may tend to drop or slidedown to a bottom portion of the container cavity, resulting in adisproportionately large portion of the additive material being appliedto a lower portion of the stored item resting in the bottom portion, anda disproportionately small portion of the additive material beingapplied to an upper portion of the stored item elevated from the bottomof the container cavity. To prevent or minimize the pooling orconcentration of released additive at the bottom of the bag, and theresulting uneven treatment of the item, the bag may be placed intosurrounding contact with the item prior to or substantially concurrentwith the release of the additive from the coating, such that contactbetween the item and the bag impedes the dropping or sliding of thereleased additive into the bottom portion of the bag cavity. In one suchexample, a bag or other container may be sized and shaped to closelyreceive the item in surrounding contact when the item is first insertedinto the container. In another exemplary embodiment, a “shrinkable” bag(e.g., heat or vacuum shrinkable, as described below) may be shrunk,collapsed, or otherwise drawn into surrounding contact with the itemprior to or substantially concurrent with initiation of release of theitem treating additive, such that the additive remains adhered to thebag until contact between the item and the bag is sufficient to minimizepooling of any additive that is released.

In some embodiments, an exterior surface of the stored item may includeone or more properties (e.g., moisture, solvent, temperature, adhesive)that initiate release of the additive from the bag coating onto the itemwhen the bag coating comes into contact with the exterior surface of theitem. As a result, an additive adhered to a portion of the interiorsurface of a bag is not released until the item is in contact with thatportion of the bag interior surface. Where an item is placed into abottom portion of a shrinkable bag cavity, a bottom surface of thereceived item may initiate release of additive adhered to the bottomportion of the bag. Where the bottom portion of the bag is substantiallyflat, pooling of released additive at the bottom of the bag may benegligible. Where the bottom portion of the bag is not flat (e.g., aseamed bottom of the bag, or a bag supported on an uneven surface), orwhere the received item may also loosely contact side portions of thebag, pooling of the additive released from these surfaces of the bag maybe more significant. In such embodiments, it may be desirable to shrinkthe bag into surrounding contact with the received item (e.g., by one ormore of heat shrinking and vacuum suction) within a relatively shorttime period (e.g., less than 30 seconds) of placement of the item in thebag to minimize the release of portions of the additive prior tosurrounding contact of the bag with the item, to avoid pooling orcollecting of the released additive in the still-loose bag.

In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, and 8B, acoated shrinkable bag 10 is used to package a foodstuff f and touniformly treat an exterior surface s of the foodstuff with aparticulate additive 19 carried by the bag coating 17. When thefoodstuff is received in the coated bag cavity and the open end of thebag is sealed closed, for example, by heat sealing, adhesive sealing, ormechanical sealing to complete a “foodstuff packaging” process, as shownin FIGS. 7A and 7B, the bag 10 is heated to a temperature selected toinitiate shrinkage of the heat shrink bag (i.e. a temperature at orabove the orientation temperature of the heat shrink material) intosurrounding contact with the foodstuff. In one such embodiment, the heatshrink film is selected to have an orientation temperature of at leastabout 60° C. When the coated interior surface of the heat shrunk bag 10′contacts the moist exterior surface of the foodstuff f, as shown inFIGS. 8A and 8B, the moistened adhesive layer dissolves to release theembedded particulate 19 (e.g., seasoning, colorant) onto the contactingexterior surfaces s of the foodstuff f. While the bag may be heat shrunkinto surrounding contact with the foodstuff any time after foodstuffpackaging, in some embodiments, the heat shrink process is initiatedwithin a short time of foodstuff packaging (e.g., less than 30 seconds),to minimize the release of portions of the particulate prior to heatshrunk surrounding contact of the bag with the foodstuff, for example,to avoid pooling or collecting of the released particulate in thestill-loose bag.

In other embodiments, a foodstuff packaged in a coated bag may beconfigured for release of the coating carried additive during cooking ofthe bagged foodstuff, such as, for example, during microwaving orcook-in-bag (e.g., boil-in-bag or bake-in-bag) preparation of thefoodstuff. In one example, the adhesive coating of a coated bag may beconfigured to melt or otherwise break down at higher temperatures torelease the additive onto the foodstuff during cooking. In anotherexample, a bagged foodstuff having little or no surface moisture at roomtemperatures (e.g., potatoes) may generate steam or other moistureduring heating of the bagged foodstuff, sufficient to dissolve theadhesive coating for release of the additive onto the foodstuff.

According to another aspect of the present application, uniform coating,seasoning, curing, coloring, or other such uniform additive treatment ofa packaged item (e.g., foodstuff) may be maximized by utilizing aseamless bag defining a flexible, continuous interior sidewall surfacethat is less likely to provide inconsistencies or deviations in the itemsurface treatment (e.g., high or low coating concentrations) than wouldbe experienced across a seamed surface of the bag. While a seamed bagmay be formed from a film that is coated with an adhesive material priorto formation of the bag, with a sheet stock of film fed from a roll intoan application zone where the adhesive is applied (e.g., sprayed ontothe film), adhesive coating of a seamless bag (e.g., a heat shrink bag)may need to be performed after formation of at least the seamlesssidewall portion of the bag. Thus, the present application contemplatesvarious methods for applying an adhesive coating to an interior surfaceof a formed container (e.g., a seamless bag).

Systems for coating an interior surface of a formed bag may utilize, forexample, one or more of spraying, brush or sponge application, dipping,rinsing, or flooding. In some embodiments, an adhesive material may beapplied to an exterior surface of the bag, with the bag beingsubsequently inverted to provided the adhesive coating on the eventualinterior surface of the bag. In other embodiments, an adhesive dispensermay dispense (e.g., spray, inject, pour, pump) an adhesive material intothe bag cavity. While the adhesive material may be dispensed from anadhesive dispenser maintained outside the bag cavity, in otherembodiments, the adhesive dispenser may be inserted into the bag cavity,which may provide for a more uniform coating of the bag cavity.

Referring to FIG. 9, an exemplary system for forming a coated bag b forpre-treating an item stored in the bag is schematically shown at 100.The exemplary system 100 includes one or more of a bag retaining fixture120, an adhesive dispenser 130, a particulate dispenser 140, and adrying mechanism 160.

One or more bags to be coated may be introduced to or placed in thesystem 100 using any suitable arrangement (not shown) of bags fed ortransported into engagement or retention with the bag retaining fixture120, including, for example, a roll of perforated bags, a stack of bags,a wicketed bag arrangement, or manually loaded bags.

The bag retaining fixture 120 may utilize any suitable arrangement tohold a bag b to be coated in an open or expanded position to facilitatethe application of adhesive and/or particulate to an interior surface ofthe bag. For example, the bag retaining fixture 120 may utilize clamps,clips or other attachments to fasten to an upper edge of the bag, withthe attachments being movable to spread the upper edge of the bag,thereby opening or expanding the bag. This attachment may be limited tothe upper edge portion of the bag that will subsequently be sealed andtherefore would not require an interior coating on this portion, thusallowing for fixture contact with the interior surface of this upperedge portion. In an exemplary embodiment, the bag retaining fixture 120may be configure to cover or mask an upper interior portion of the bag b(e.g., with a band, cuff, or other such structure), to prevent theapplication of an adhesive coating to this upper interior portion, suchthat the adhesive coating and/or particulate adhering to the adhesivecoating does not impair subsequent sealing of the upper portion of thebag (e.g., after an item has been placed in the bag).

As another example, a blower may be used to apply pressurized air (orother pressurized gas) to the inside of the bag, thereby inflating thebag into an open, expanded condition. As still another example, a bagspreading block may be inserted into the bag to spread the bag into anopen, expanded condition. As yet another example, a plurality of suctionapplicators may be brought into contact with outer surfaces of the bag,with the suction applicators applying vacuum suction to the bag sidewallto maintain the bag in an open, expanded condition. In an exemplaryembodiment, a first, opening mechanism 121 (e.g., a blower or bagspreading block) may be utilized to initially open the bag b to anexpanded condition, and a second, retaining mechanism 122 (e.g., suctionapplicators) may be utilized to maintain the bag b in this expandedcondition during the adhesive and/or particulate dispensing operations.In one such embodiment, the opening mechanism 121 may be stationary andthe retaining mechanism 122 may travel with the bag retaining fixture120 along a conveyor 105 to move the open bag b to one or more bagcoating stations (e.g., an adhesive dispenser 130 or particulatedispenser 140) along the conveyor 105. The bag expanding and retainingfixture may be configured to provide the bag in an expanded condition inwhich the interior of the bag is free of acute angles, sharp corners, orcreases, for example, to promote a uniform application of coatingmaterial to the interior sidewall of the bag.

While the adhesive dispenser 130 may include any suitable device forapplying a coating of adhesive to an interior surface of a bag b, in anexemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the adhesive dispenser 130includes one or more sprayers 132 insertable into the cavity of the openor expanded bag and having a nozzle 134 configured to apply asubstantially uniform coating of a liquid adhesive to the interiorsurface of the bag b. In the illustrated example, the bag b is fixturedwith an open end of the bag facing upward, such that the nozzle 134 islowered or inserted into the open bag from above. In other embodiments(not shown), the bag may be fixtured with the open end facing downward,such that the nozzle is raised or inserted into the open bag from below.In still other embodiments, where an internal surface of a tube shapedsubstrate is being coated (e.g., a bag prior to sealing one or bothends), nozzles may be inserted into either or both open ends of thetube.

The nozzle 134 may be configured to supply a spray pattern that extendsaround an entire circumference of the sprayer for simultaneousapplication of adhesive to an entire sidewall inner surface. In otherembodiments, as shown in FIG. 10, a nozzle portion 134 a of a sprayer132 a may be rotatable (e.g., in direction of arrow A) with respect tothe bag about a vertical axis Y (e.g., by a motor driven shaft) duringthe spraying operation to apply adhesive to the entire inner peripheryof the sidewall inner surface as the nozzle portion 134 a rotates aboutthe vertical axis Y. Alternatively, the nozzle may remain rotationallyfixed and the bag may be rotated with respect to the nozzle to applyadhesive to the entire circumference of the sidewall inner surface.

Further, the nozzle may define a vertically elongated spray source thatextends substantially along an entire vertical length of the bag cavitysidewall when the sprayer is inserted in the open, expanded bag, forsimultaneous application of the adhesive to the entire vertical lengthof the bag cavity sidewall. This vertical length of the bag cavitysidewall may exclude an upper edge portion of the bag sidewall alongwhich the bag is subsequently sealed. In other embodiments, as shown inFIG. 10, the nozzle portion 134 a of the sprayer 132 a may be verticallymovable along the vertical axis Y along arrow B with respect to the bag(e.g., by a motor driven piston) during the spraying operation to applyadhesive to the entire vertical length of the sidewall. Alternatively,the nozzle may remain vertically fixed and the bag may be movedvertically with respect to the nozzle to apply adhesive to the entirevertical length of the sidewall.

A bag having a sealed bottom end presents an upward facing bottomportion in addition to the laterally facing sidewall portions. In someapplications, relying on excess liquid adhesive sprayed on the sidewallsto run down to the bottom of the bag may produce uneven orunsatisfactory coating of portions of the bag. To provide an adhesivecoating on the bottom portion of the bag, a nozzle of an insertedsprayer may be configured to spray liquid adhesive in both a lateraldirection (i.e., to coat the sidewall portion of the bag) and in adownward direction (i.e., to coat the bottom portion of the bag).

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, an adhesive dispensingarrangement for coating an interior surface of a bag b may utilize afirst adhesive dispenser 132 a (e.g., as described above) for spraying aliquid adhesive laterally onto an interior surface of a sidewall portionof the bag, and a second adhesive dispenser 132 b for spraying a liquidadhesive downward onto an interior surface of a bottom portion of thebag, to provide a substantially uniform adhesive coating on the entirebag cavity. In such an embodiment, operation of the first and secondadhesive dispensers 132 a, 132 b may be separately adjustable (e.g., byadjusting one or more of spray time, pressure, viscosity, nozzlemovement, number of passes) to optimize coating thickness, adhesion, anduniformity. In one such embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the nozzleportion 134 b of the second adhesive dispenser 132 b is pivotable abouta horizontal axis X during the spraying operation to apply adhesive tothe entire bottom surface of the bag cavity as the nozzle portion pivotsabout the horizontal axis. Other movement of the second adhesivedispenser nozzle may additionally or alternatively be employed,including, for example, lateral movement or rotational movement about avertical axis.

While many different types of liquid adhesives may be sprayed into thebag cavity as described above, including adhesives having viscositiesranging, for example, from about 1 dPa to about 100 dPa, in an exemplaryembodiment, the viscosity of the liquid adhesive may be limited orcontrolled, for example, to reduce or prevent clogging of the sprayernozzle portions, to reduce the pressure required to apply the adhesive,and/or to facilitate formation of a uniform coating of adhesive in thebag cavity. In one such embodiment, the liquid adhesive, when sprayed,may have a viscosity between approximately 5 dPa and approximately 40dPa, between approximately 5 dPa and approximately 25 dPa, or betweenapproximately 6 dPa and approximately 10 dPa. To reduce the viscosity ofthe liquid adhesive to a suitable range for spraying, an existingadhesive may be further diluted with water. For example, an edibleadhesive having a standard viscosity of about 40 dPa to about 85 dPa maybe diluted with about 10% to about 33% water to provide a sprayableliquid adhesive having a viscosity between about 6 dPa and about 10 dPa.Additionally or alternatively, to limit the viscosity of the liquid to asuitable range for spraying, the temperature of the liquid adhesive maybe elevated. In one embodiment, an adhesive having a room temperatureviscosity of about 80 dPa to about 85 dPa is heated to a temperaturebetween about 87° F. and about 175° F. (or between about 110° F. andabout 160° F.) to reduce the viscosity to between about 25 dPa and about40 dPa (and may additionally be diluted with water as described abovefor improved sprayability). Heating the liquid adhesive may bepreferable to dilution in some applications, as the adhesive may bettermaintain its adhesive properties in an undiluted or less diluted state.Under ambient conditions, this heated liquid may cool to suitabletemperatures upon contact with the bag, such that the bag material isnot melted, softened, heat-shrunk or otherwise affected by the heatedliquid adhesive. In one such exemplary embodiment, a liquid adhesiveheated to a temperature between approximately 110° F. and approximately160° F. is safely sprayed onto a bag surface between approximately 3inches and approximately 11 inches from the nozzle without adverselyaffecting the bag material.

The amount of liquid adhesive applied to the bag surface (or other suchpackaging substrate) may depend on the amount and type of particulate(or other material) to be adhered to the adhesive layer, or the amountof material included in the adhesive layer that is desired for thepackaging. For example, bags or other packaging substrates may beprovided with adhesive layers having areal density ranges of about 30mg/in² to about 65 mg/in² for adhesion of powder particulate (e.g.,antimicrobial particles), or about 1 g/in² to about 3 g/in² for adhesionof larger particles (e.g., cracked black pepper or other larger spiceparticles), or areal density ranges in between these two ranges foradhering particles ranging between these two size extremes.

When a liquid adhesive, particularly a low viscosity liquid adhesive, issprayed onto a vertically extending plastic substrate, such as a bagfilm or sidewall, the liquid adhesive may have a tendency to run or dripdown the substrate before having the opportunity to dry or cure on thesubstrate surface. Reducing the amount of liquid adhesive sprayed onto avertical substrates surface may minimize or avoid running or dripping ofthe liquid. However in a coated bag spraying application, if the amountof liquid adhesive sprayed into the bag is limited to an amount thatinhibits dripping or running of the adhesive, the resulting adhesivecoating may be insufficient to suitably adhere later added particulate,or insufficient to provide adequate additives to the stored item (wherethe additives are included in the liquid adhesive). According to anaspect of the present application, a liquid adhesive may be applied tothe interior sidewall of a bag in multiple passes or applications,allowing the sprayed adhesive a brief period of time to begin to dry andadhere to the sidewall before an additional application of the liquidadhesive is sprayed onto the same location of the bag sidewall. Where anadhesive dispenser with a rotating spray nozzle is utilized, the nozzlemay perform multiple continuous or discontinuous rotations whilespraying to provide multiple applications of liquid adhesive around theinner perimeter of the bag sidewall. Where an adhesive dispenser with avertically sliding spray nozzle is utilized, the nozzle may performmultiple vertical passes while spraying to provide multiple applicationsof liquid adhesive along the vertical length of the bag sidewall. Wherean adhesive dispenser with a rotating and vertically sliding spraynozzle is utilized, the nozzle may perform a single vertical pass whilerotating, a single rotation while making multiple vertical passes, or acombination of multiple rotations and multiple vertical passes.Additionally or alternatively, the nozzle may be configured to ceasespraying for a predetermined period of time before resuming spraining todispense a subsequent application of the liquid adhesive.

In an exemplary embodiment, a liquid adhesive is dispensed in multipleapplications on a bag sidewall surface to provide an adhesive layerhaving a desired cumulative area density resulting from the multiplepasses or applications of the liquid adhesive. For example, the liquidadhesive may be dispensed in two to ten applications, with eachapplication dispensing an area density of about 0.1 g/in² to 1.5 g/in²(for a cumulative area density of about about 1 g/in² to about 3 g/in²).To allow time for an application of the liquid adhesive to affix to thesubstrate (e.g., to begin to dry or cure), a time period (e.g., about 1to about 5 seconds) may be provided between liquid adhesive applicationsto a location on the bag sidewall, either by multiple rotational orvertical passes of a moving spray nozzle (with the time period beingdefined by the cycle time of the nozzle movement) or by ceasing sprayingfor a period of time, or both. While each application or pass of liquidadhesive may supply the same amount of liquid adhesive to a givenlocation, in other embodiments, the amount of liquid adhesive suppliedin each application may vary (e.g., by varying duration, nozzle flowrate, nozzle movement speed, pressure, etc.). For example, subsequentliquid adhesive applications may dispense a larger amount of liquidadhesive than an initial liquid adhesive application if it is determinedthat the liquid adhesive is less likely to drip or run when sprayed onthe adhesive coated bag sidewall. Still other parameters may be variedin one or more of the liquid adhesive applications, including, forexample, temperature, viscosity, dilution, and liquid adhesivecomposition. When application of the liquid adhesive layer is completed,a longer time period (e.g., 2-10 minutes) may be provided to at leastpartially dry or cure the adhesive, for example, prior to embedding aparticulate in the adhesive.

Additionally or alternatively, while the adhesive may be sprayed onuntreated films, in other embodiments, the bag film material may beadapted for increased surface tension, for example, by corona treatmentof the bag surface. This increased surface tension reduces the liquidadhesive's tendency to “bead up” on the interior bag sidewall, therebypromoting a more uniform adhesive coating on the interior sidewallsurface. In an exemplary embodiment, the bag film is corona treated to asurface tension between about 30 dynes/cm and about 38 dynes/cm, orbetween about 30 dynes/cm and about 34 dynes/cm, to promote adhesion ofthe liquid adhesive to the film and to minimize beading or dripping ofthe liquid adhesive on the film.

The applied adhesive layer may include an additive for treating an itemstored in the bag, including, for example, a particulate, liquid, and/orgel additive, as described above, mixed in with the liquid adhesive forapplication of a single layer additive carrying coating to the interiorsurface of the bag. In other embodiments, one or more particulate,liquid, and/or gel additive layers may be applied to an adhesive layeron the bag interior to secure the additive to the bag surface forsubsequent release on an item stored in the bag. As described herein,these additive layers may be applied to the bag at different stations ona conveyor along which a bag is transported.

In the system 100 of FIG. 9, a particulate dispenser 140 is utilized todispense one or more types of solid particulate into the bag afterformation of the adhesive coating on the bag interior sidewall, suchthat the particulate is embedded in the adhesive coating. In theillustrated example, the adhesive coated bag (held open by retainingmechanism 122) is moved along a track or conveyor 105 into alignmentwith the particulate dispenser 140 to receive particulate from an outlet142 of the particulate dispenser. In other embodiments, the adhesivecoated bag may instead remain stationary, with the particulate dispenseraligning with the bag (and, optionally, with the adhesive dispensermoving out of alignment with the bag to accommodate the particulatedispenser).

Many different types of particulate dispensing mechanisms may beutilized. In one embodiment, a relatively large amount of particulatemay be dumped into the bag, for example, from a pressurized hopper, tofill the bag with enough particulate to substantially fully cover theadhesive layer with embedded particulate. In other embodiments, theparticulate may be spread, sprayed, pumped, or otherwise projected ontothe interior sidewall of the bag, to reduce the amount of particulatedispensed into the bag cavity. Excess particulate that does not adhereto the adhesive layer of the bag cavity may be removed, for example, bya vacuum mechanism or by turning the bag upside-down and dumping out theloose particulate. The removed excess particulate may be re-used orrecycled (e.g., by first filtering the particulate to remove particulatethat may have clumped together from exposure to adhesive material).Where the particulate is applied to the interior sidewall of a tubularsubstrate (e.g., a tube from which a bag is formed by subsequentlysealing a bottom end) having an open bottom end, the loose particulatemay be permitted to drop through the open bottom end into a bin orcontainer for subsequent disposal or reuse.

In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the particulatedispenser 140 includes a particulate spreading auger 142 having arotating helical blade 144 within a tubular conduit 145 into whichparticulate is fed from a hopper 141 or other source. As the helicalblade of the auger rotates, the particulate is dispensed in a meteredfashion from the conduit, and is projected laterally outward from theauger toward the interior sidewall of the bag b. Particulate that doesnot adhere to the sidewall drops to the bottom portion of the bag toadhere to the adhesive layer on the bag bottom portion, and/or to remainloose at the bottom of the bag (e.g., for subsequent removal from thebag or for retention in the bag with a stored item).

In some embodiments, the particulate dispenser may be configured todispense two or more types of particulate onto a single particulatelayer, using one or more particulate spreading augers or other suchdevices as described above. Where multiple particle spreading devicesare used, these devices may occupy different locations along theconveyor, requiring movement of the fixtured bag along the conveyor toeach of these multiple locations. Alternatively, multiple particlespreading devices may be operable to supply the multiple types ofparticulate to the interior of the bag in a fixed bag location.

In some embodiments in which multiple types of particulate are applied,a first particulate (e.g., cracked black pepper) is a larger particulateand a second particulate is a smaller particulate (e.g., chili powder),with the larger particulate having an average granule size of up toabout 100 times or more than an average granule size of the smallerparticulate, or a typical ratio of about five times to about twenty-fivetimes the average particle size. In one example, a larger firstparticulate has an average granule size of up to about 6.730 mm (or arange between about 0.841 mm and about 6.730 mm), and a smaller secondparticulate has an average granule size of as small as about 0.037 mm(or a range between about 0.037 mm and about 0.707 mm). In such anembodiment, the larger particulate may be applied first, with theembedded larger particulate defining spaces between the largerparticulate sufficient for embedding the subsequently applied smallerparticulate.

According to another aspect of the present application, the surface ofthe adhesive layer may be adapted to better absorb or attractparticulate to facilitate the embedding of the particulate in theadhesive layer. As one example, the adhesive layer may be softened ortexturized to retain particles projected onto the adhesive layer, makingthese particles less likely to bounce off of the adhesive coated bagsidewall. The softness or texture of the adhesive layer may be modified,for example, by aeration of the liquid adhesive as the liquid is sprayedonto the bag sidewall. In an exemplary embodiment, a liquid adhesive isaerated with a suitable gas, such as, for example, air, carbon dioxide,nitrogen, or some other inert gas, to trap minute bubbles throughout theadhesive coating. The aerated liquid adhesive may produce a foamedadhesive coating. As another example, the nozzle pressure and flowconfiguration may be selected to generate an adhesive foam, or small,soft beads of glue that adhere to the bag substrate in a soft, texturedpattern. In one embodiment, the liquid adhesive is sprayed at a pressurebetween approximately 200 psi and approximately 1300 psi.

The bag coating system may be configured to apply a second adhesivelayer over the embedded particulate, for example, to hold, adhere, orcement the embedded particulate to the interior sidewall of the bag, asdescribed above and shown in the embodiment of FIG. 4. The secondadhesive layer may be applied by the same adhesive dispenser thatsupplied the first adhesive layer (e.g., by moving the bag alongconveyor 105 back into alignment with the adhesive dispenser 130, or bymoving the adhesive dispenser back into alignment with the bag). Whileapplication of the first and second adhesive layers may be performed insubstantially the same manner, in other embodiments, the adhesivedispenser may be configured to apply a different amount of liquidadhesive in forming the second adhesive layer as compared to formationof the first adhesive layer (e.g., by varying duration, nozzle flowrate, nozzle movement speed, pressure, etc.). For example, a secondadhesive layer may be a thinner layer or smaller amount of adhesive, forexample, as a cementing or solidifying glaze, as compared to the firstadhesive layer in which the particulate embeds. As another example,uniformity of the second adhesive layer may be less important thanuniformity of the first adhesive layer, as the layer particulate hasalready embedded and the second adhesive layer is merely solidifyingthis embedded condition (and not affecting the concentration ordistributing of the embedded particulate). Still other parameters may bevaried in the application of the second adhesive layer, including, forexample, temperature, viscosity, dilution, and liquid adhesivecomposition. In an exemplary embodiment, a liquid adhesive is dispensedin multiple applications, as described above, on a bag sidewall surfaceto provide a second adhesive layer onto the embedded particulate, withthe second adhesive layer having an area density of about 1 g/in² toabout 3 g/in².

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9, the second adhesive layer may beapplied by a second adhesive dispenser 130′ separate from the firstadhesive dispenser 130. The second adhesive dispenser 130′ may be fixedat a location along a conveyor 105, with the bag b being moved intoalignment with the second adhesive dispenser for application of thesecond adhesive layer. Alternatively, the second adhesive dispenser maybe movable to align with a stationary fixtured bag (not shown). Thesecond adhesive dispenser 130′ may utilize a number of differentadhesive dispensing arrangements, including, for example, the twosprayer arrangement described above and shown in FIG. 10, with the firstsprayer applying liquid adhesive to the interior sidewall portion of thebag, and the second sprayer applying liquid adhesive to the interiorbottom portion of the bag. While application of the first and secondadhesive layers may be performed in substantially the same manner, inother embodiments, the second adhesive dispenser may be configured toapply a different amount of liquid adhesive than the first adhesivedispenser, or to vary other parameters in the application of the secondadhesive layer, including, for example, temperature, viscosity,dilution, and liquid adhesive composition, as discussed in greaterdetail above.

A second adhesive layer applied over the embedded particulate, whetherapplied by the same adhesive dispenser that applies the first adhesivelayer or by a second adhesive dispenser, may be formed from multipleapplications of liquid adhesive to the interior surface of the bagcavity, similar to the exemplary formation of the first adhesive layeras described in greater detail above. In an exemplary embodiment, aliquid adhesive forming the second adhesive layer is dispensed in two tofour applications, with each application dispensing an area density ofabout 0.25 g/in² to about 1.5 g/in² (for a cumulative area density ofabout about 1 g/in² to about 3 g/in²). To allow time for an applicationof the liquid adhesive to affix to the bag coating (e.g., to begin todry or cure), a time period (e.g., about 1 to 5 seconds) may be providedbetween liquid adhesive applications to a location on the bag sidewall.

The bag coating system may be configured to apply a second layer ofparticulate over the second adhesive layer, for example, to retain moreparticulate than could be retained by embedding the particulate in thelimited surface area of the coated packaging substrate, or to applydifferent additives in separate sequential applications, as describedabove and shown in the embodiment of FIG. 5. The second layer ofparticulate may be applied by the same particulate dispenser thatsupplied the first particulate (e.g., by moving the bag along conveyor105 back into alignment with the particulate dispenser 140, or by movingthe particulate dispenser back into alignment with the bag). Whileapplication of the first and second layers of particulate may beperformed in substantially the same manner, in other embodiments, theparticulate dispenser may be configured to apply a different amount ortype(s) of particulate as compared to the first layer of particulate.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9, the second layer of particulate maybe applied by a second particulate dispenser 140′ separate from thefirst particulate dispenser 140. The second particulate dispenser 140′may be fixed at a location along a conveyor 105, with the bag b beingmoved into alignment with the second particulate dispenser forapplication of the second particulate layer. Alternatively, the secondparticulate dispenser may be movable to align with a stationary fixturedbag (not shown). The second particulate dispenser 140′ may utilize anumber of different particulate dispensing arrangements, including, forexample, one or more of the particulate spreading augers described aboveand shown in FIG. 11. While application of the first and secondparticulate layers may be performed in substantially the same manner, inother embodiments, the second particulate dispenser 140′ may beconfigured to apply a different amount or type(s) of particulate thanthe first particulate dispenser 140. This second particulate layer mayalso be covered by an adhesive layer applied by an adhesive dispenserstationed on the conveyor.

In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9, the system 100 may include adispenser 150 for applying a non-particulate additive (e.g., in additionto or instead of particulate additives), such as, for example, liquidsand gels, as described above. This non-particulate additive dispenser150 may be utilized in addition to or instead of the one or moreparticulate dispensers 140, 140′ to apply an item treating additive toan interior surface of the bag. The dispenser may utilize any suitabledispensing mechanism, including, for example, devices for one or more ofspraying, brush or sponge application, dipping, rinsing, or flooding. Inan exemplary embodiment, the non-particulate additive dispenser 150 mayutilize a spraying mechanism, such as, for example, the liquid adhesivespraying mechanisms described above.

When the one or more layers of the bag coating have been applied, thebag may be subjected to a drying or curing operation to solidify thecoating on the bag, readying the coated bag for stable storage prior touse. In the exemplary system 100 of FIG. 9, a drying device 160 ispositioned on the conveyor 105 for drying a bag b moved into alignmentwith the drying device. The drying device 160 may be configured toutilize any suitable mechanism for drying or curing a bag coating tosolidify or otherwise stabilize the applied coating, including, forexample, one or more of heat drying (convection, microwave, infraredradiation, ultraviolet radiation), forced air drying, batch drying,conveyor drying, chemical drying, or freeze drying, applied to either orboth of the interior and exterior of the coated bag.

Other embodiments and processes are contemplated by the inventiveaspects of the present application. For example, inventive aspects ofthe present application may be applied to a variety of differentcontainers, packaging components, and other substrates. For example,packaging products utilized in embodiments of the present applicationmay include, for example, any suitable films or other substrates, gas orliquid permeable films, heat-shrinkable or non-shrinkable bags, thermalforming films, vacuum shrink bags, pleated or gusseted bags, wicketedbags, seamless or seamed bags, tubes, rigid containers (e.g., cups,bowls, trays) or containers formed from rigid materials (e.g., plastic,glass, metals), lids, casings, nettings, mesh, parchment, foils (e.g.,aluminum, tin), foil papers, chub films, bone coverage films or othermaterials, biopolymeric films or other materials, biodegradable films orother materials, “active” or “smart” packaging, melamine resin, ricepaper, cheesecloth, shrinkwrap, and soaker pads. In still otherexamples, coatings may additionally or alternatively be applied tonon-packaging components, such as, for example, filters, patches (e.g.,nicotine patches), or drinking straws.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present application, a bag orother substrate may be provided with a dried or cured adhesive coatingconfigured for later embedding or adhesion of a particulate or othersuch additive. In such an embodiment, the substrate coating may bemoistened to activate the adhesive properties of the adhesive coating,and a particulate or other additive may be applied to the moistenedadhesive layer (e.g., using the devices and methods described above).Subsequent re-drying of the adhesive layer causes the embedded oradhered additive to be secured in the substrate coating for futurerelease onto a packaged item, as described above.

Other exemplary embodiments of coated food seasoning bags, and uses forsuch bags, are described in co-pending U.S. Patent Application Pub. No.2012/0128836, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference.

While various inventive aspects, concepts and features of the inventionsmay be described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination inthe exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts and featuresmay be used in many alternative embodiments, either individually or invarious combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expresslyexcluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intendedto be within the scope of the present inventions. Still further, whilevarious alternative embodiments as to the various aspects, concepts andfeatures of the inventions—such as alternative materials, structures,configurations, methods, circuits, devices and components, software,hardware, control logic, alternatives as to form, fit and function, andso on—may be described herein, such descriptions are not intended to bea complete or exhaustive list of available alternative embodiments,whether presently known or later developed. Those skilled in the art mayreadily adopt one or more of the inventive aspects, concepts or featuresinto additional embodiments and uses within the scope of the presentinventions even if such embodiments are not expressly disclosed herein.Additionally, even though some features, concepts or aspects of theinventions may be described herein as being a preferred arrangement ormethod, such description is not intended to suggest that such feature isrequired or necessary unless expressly so stated. Still further,exemplary or representative values and ranges may be included to assistin understanding the present disclosure; however, such values and rangesare not to be construed in a limiting sense and are intended to becritical values or ranges only if so expressly stated. Moreover, whilevarious aspects, features and concepts may be expressly identifiedherein as being inventive or forming part of an invention, suchidentification is not intended to be exclusive, but rather there may beinventive aspects, concepts and features that are fully described hereinwithout being expressly identified as such or as part of a specificinvention, the inventions instead being set forth in the appendedclaims. Descriptions of exemplary methods or processes are not limitedto inclusion of all steps as being required in all cases, nor is theorder that the steps are presented to be construed as required ornecessary unless expressly so stated.

1. A method of forming a coated bag for pre-treating an item stored inthe bag, the method comprising: providing a bag having a sidewallextending from a closed bottom end to an open top end and defining aninterior surface of a cavity; expanding the bag from a flattenedcondition to an expanded condition; inserting at least one adhesivedispenser through the open top end of the bag into the cavity; applyingan adhesive from the at least one inserted adhesive dispenser to form anadhesive coating on the interior surface of the cavity; inserting aparticulate dispenser through the open top end of the bag into thecavity; discharging a particulate from the inserted particulatedispenser to embed the particulate in the adhesive coating; and dryingthe adhesive coating to retain the embedded particulate on the interiorsurface of the sidewall.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein applying theadhesive comprises spraying a liquid adhesive having a viscosity betweenapproximately 6 dPa and approximately 10 dPa.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein applying the adhesive comprises spraying a liquid adhesive at atemperature between approximately 87° F. and approximately 175° F. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein applying the adhesive comprises sprayinga liquid adhesive at a pressure between approximately 200 psi andapproximately 1300 psi.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein applying theadhesive comprises spraying a liquid adhesive at a flow rate betweenabout 1 g per second and about 2 g per second.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein expanding the bag from the flattened condition to the expandedcondition comprises applying suction to an outer surface of thesidewall. 7.-9. (canceled)
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein drying theadhesive coating comprises maintaining the coated bag at a maximumtemperature of up to approximately 160° F.
 11. The method of claim 1,wherein drying the adhesive coating comprises applying infraredradiation to an exterior surface of the bag.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein discharging the particulate from the inserted particulatedispenser comprises discharging at least one of a seasoning particulate,a coloring particulate, and a preservative particulate. 13.-18.(canceled)
 19. The method of claim 1, wherein the adhesive coating hasan area density between approximately 20 mg/in² and approximately 60mg/in².
 20. The method of claim 1, wherein discharging the particulatecomprises discharging a first particulate, the method further comprisingdischarging a second particulate after discharging the first particulateto embed the second particulate in the adhesive coating, the secondparticulate being different from the first particulate.
 21. The methodof claim 20, wherein the first particulate has an average particle sizethat is at least 100 times an average particle size of the secondparticulate, the second particulate being embedded in the adhesivecoating in spaces between the embedded first particulate.
 22. The methodof claim 1, wherein the adhesive comprises an edible adhesive and theparticulate comprises an edible particulate.
 23. The method of claim 1,wherein applying the adhesive to form the adhesive coating comprisesspraying an aerated liquid adhesive to form an adhesive coating havinggas bubbles trapped throughout the adhesive coating.
 24. The method ofclaim 1, wherein applying the adhesive to form the adhesive coatingcomprises spraying an aerated liquid adhesive to form a foamed adhesivecoating on the interior surface of the cavity.
 25. The method of claim1, wherein the interior surface has a surface tension between about 30dynes/cm and about 38 dynes/cm.
 26. (canceled)
 27. A spray-coated bagfor treating in item to be retained therein, the coated bag comprising:a heat-shrinkable film forming a sidewall extending from a closed bottomend to an open top end and defining an interior surface of a cavity; asprayed adhesive coating adhered to the interior surface of the cavity;and a particulate embedded in the adhesive coating.
 28. The coated bagof claim 27, wherein the heat-shrinkable film has an orientationtemperature of at least about 60° C.
 29. The coated bag of claim 27,wherein the particulate comprises at least one of a seasoningparticulate, a coloring particulate, and a preservative particulate. 30.The coated bag of claim 27, wherein the ratio by weight of adhesivecoating to particulate is between approximately 1.0 and approximately2.0.
 31. The coated bag of claim 27, wherein the sidewall issubstantially tubular.
 32. The coated bag of claim 27, wherein theadhesive coating has an area density between approximately 20 mg/in² andapproximately 60 mg/in². 33.-36. (canceled)
 37. The coated bag of claim27, wherein the adhesive coating is configured to release the embeddedparticulate when heated.
 38. The coated bag of claim 27, wherein theadhesive coating is configured to release the embedded particulate whenexposed to moisture.
 39. The coated bag of claim 27, wherein theparticulate is an edible particulate, and the adhesive coating includesan edible adhesive.
 40. The coated bag of claim 27, wherein the adhesivecoating includes gas bubbles trapped throughout the adhesive coating.41. The coated bag of claim 27, wherein the adhesive coating comprises afoamed adhesive coating.
 42. The coated bag of claim 27, wherein theinterior surface has a surface tension between about 30 dynes/cm andabout 38 dynes/cm.
 43. A method of pretreating an item, the methodcomprising: providing a spray-coated bag including a heat-shrinkablefilm forming a seamless sidewall extending from a closed bottom end toan open top end and defining an interior surface of a cavity; a sprayedadhesive coating adhered to the interior surface of the cavity; and aparticulate embedded in the adhesive coating; receiving the item in thebag cavity; sealing the open top end of the bag to enclose the item inthe bag cavity; heating the bag to an orientation temperature to shrinkthe bag into surrounding contact with an exterior surface of theenclosed item; and maintaining the enclosed item in the shrunk bag for aperiod of time sufficient to release the embedded particulate from theadhesive coating.
 44. The method of claim 43, wherein the item comprisesa foodstuff, the adhesive coating comprises an edible adhesive, and theparticulate is an edible particulate.
 45. The method of claim 43,wherein the adhesive coating has an area density between approximately20 mg/in² and approximately 60 mg/in².
 46. The method of claim 43,wherein the heat-shrinkable film has an orientation temperature of atleast about 60° C.
 47. The method of claim 43, wherein the particulatecomprises at least one of a seasoning particulate, a coloringparticulate, and a preservative particulate.
 48. The method of claim 43,wherein the ratio by weight of adhesive coating to particulate isbetween approximately 1.0 and approximately 2.0.
 49. The method of claim43, wherein the sidewall is substantially tubular.
 50. The method ofclaim 43, wherein the adhesive coating is configured to release theembedded particulate when heated.
 51. The method of claim 43, whereinthe adhesive coating is configured to release the embedded particulatewhen exposed to moisture.
 52. The method of claim 43, wherein theadhesive coating includes gas bubbles trapped throughout the adhesivecoating.
 53. The method of claim 43, wherein the adhesive coatingcomprises a foamed adhesive coating.
 54. The method of claim 43, whereinthe interior surface has a surface tension between about 30 dynes/cm andabout 38 dynes/cm. 55.-106. (canceled)